The Boston Bruins would like to add some “heaviness” to their lineup, GM Peter Chiarelli told reporters today.
From CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty:
Peter Chiarelli said "heaviness" is area he'd like to augment on B's during the season in terms of size, strength on the puck & puck battles
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) November 27, 2014
No huge surprise to hear that. When the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013, they had players like Jaromir Jagr, Nathan Horton, Shawn Thornton, and Johnny Boychuk. All four of those players, since departed, brought size and strength to Boston’s lineup.
While the B’s aren’t exactly a bunch of pipsqueaks now, they did intentionally go into the season with more speed and skill up front, and there’s a feeling they’ve lost that “big, bad” identity that accompanied their rise into the elite category of NHL teams. On Boston’s current active roster, only four forwards are listed at 200 pounds or more -- Milan Lucic (235), Carl Soderberg (216), Matt Fraser (204), and Daniel Paille (200).
In yesterday’s mailbag, Haggerty suggested Columbus forward Nick Foligno (210 pounds) as a potential target for Chiarelli.
We’ll suggest another one, courtesy TSN’s Bob McKenzie -- Jordan Nolan (221 pounds) of the Los Angeles Kings.